++ Top UP

“Maaf,baki anda tidak mencukupi untuk membuat panggilan”..

Kita sering saja mendengar perkataan ini daripada operator telefon apabila kita kehabisan kredit.Selalunya,apabila kita ingin membuat panggilan,lebih-lebih lagi kepada yang tersayang,apabila mendengar perkataan ini keluar dari telefon,kita akan berasa kecewa dan terus bergegas mencari bekalan ‘topup’.Kita akan memastikan bahawa kredit kita sentiasa penuh.Tetapi,pernah tidak kita aplikasikan ini kepada sesuatu yang lain?

Cuba kita bayangkan.Satu hari,satu suara berkata kepada kita..“Maaf,pahala anda tidak mencukupi untuk membolehkan anda masuk ke syurga”.Pernah tak kita berfikir seperti itu?Bayangkan di hari kebangkitan nanti,perkataan seperti itu diucapkan kepada kita.Bagaimana agaknya perasaan kita ketika itu?Apakah kita masih boleh men ‘top-up’ pahala kita di saat pahala amalan kita yang terlampau sedikit ini dihitung.Bayangkan rasa kecewa yang menyelebungi diri kita,melebihi segala kekecewaan kita gagal dalam peperiksaan di dunia,kecewa dalam interview,kecewa dalam kerja,dalam segalanya.

Kita selalu menangis apabila kita kita kehilangan sesuatu yang amat berharga kepada diri kita.Tetapi,pernah tidak sekali kita menangis mengenangkan dosa-dosa silam kita.Pernah tidak kita mendengar kisah-kisah para alim ulama’,tabi’ tabii’n dahulu,yang selalu menangis mengenangkan dosa mereka yang sedikit.Sedangkan kita? Dosa kita terlalu sedikitkah berbanding mereka yang menyebabkan terlalu sukar untuk kita menitiskan air mata.Tetapi,apabila kekasih kita meninggalkan kita,sampai bengkak mata kita menangis.Betapa lemahnya iman kita..

Ingatkah kita akan kisah Syadad bin Aus? Kenal siapa Syadad bin Aus? Kata Abu Darda’ ..“Setiap umat ada orang fakih,dan antara orang fakih umat ini ialah Syadad bin Aus”.Kembali kepada kisah Syadad bin Aus.Satu malam,Syadad bin Aus hendak tidur,tetapi dia tidak dapat tidur dan hatinya gelisah.Maka dia berkata “Ya Allah,nerakaMu menyebabkan aku berjaga malam,dan hilangkanlah daripadaku rasa mengantuk ini”.Lalu,beliau bangkit dan solat sehingga Subuh.Kisah bagaimana seorang Fakih yang takutkan neraka sehingga tidak dapat tidak tidur malam..Adakah sekuat itu iman kita? Sahabat-sahabat kita di Palestin berjuang mengangkat senjata dan bermati-matian menentang golongan kuffar,dan kita? Hendak mengangkat mata dan selimut untuk pergi solat Subuh berjemaah pun kita tidak mampu,inikan pula hendak pergi berperang.

Mari kita sama-sama muhasabah diri kita..

Suka untuk saya bercerita kisah seorang sahabat Nabi bernama Amir bin Said.Pada zaman pemerintahan khalifah Saidina Umar al-Khattab.Ketika itu,beliau baru sahaja mendirikan rumah tangga.Saidina Umar hendak melantik seseorang untuk menjadi Gabenor di negara Kufah.Dengan berasaskan takwa,Saidina Umar menawarkan jawatan tersebut kepada Amir bin Said,tetapi beliau menolak kerana amanah tersebut terlalu berat bagi beliau.Saidina Umar berkata kembali “Kenapa kamu memilih aku menjadi khalifah sedangkan kamu tidak di belakang aku?”.Akhirnya,Amir bin Said menerima jawatan tersebut dan Saidina Umar memberikan kepada beliau sejumlah wang untuk beliau bertugas sebagai Gabenor di Kufah.Said bin Amir sebaliknya tidak menggunakan wang tersebut untuk dirinya,bahkan bersedekah kepada fakir miskin.Ketika menjadi gabenor di Kufah,pernah penduduk Kufah membuat aduan tentang kepimpinan beliau.

Penduduk Kufah mengadu tentang 3 perkara ; pertama(1),Said bin Umar tidak keluar dua kali dalam masa sebulan.Kedua(2),beliau lambat keluar untuk bertugas pada waktu pagi dan ketiga(3),beliau tidak keluar pada waktu malam.Dengan tawaddu’ Said bin Amir menjawab aduan-aduan tersebut.Beliau tidak keluar dua kali sebulan kerana beliau hanya mempunyai pakaian sehelai sepinggang.Dua hari itu digunakan untuk membasuh dan mengeringkan pakaian beliau.Beliau keluar lambat pada waktu pagi kerana beliau tidak mempunyai khadam atau hamba.Beliau dan isterinya melakukan sendiri semua kerja-kerja rumah.Beliau tidak keluar pada waktu malam kerana beliau memperuntukkan malam beliau hanya untuk beribadat kepada Allah.

Itulah satu contoh kepimpinan dan tauladan yang sepatutnya kita contohi.Walaupun bergelar gabenor,beliau tidak bermegah-megah dengan jawatan itu,bahkan semakin tawaddu’ dan rendah diri.Hendaklah kita memperuntukkan malam kita untuk beribadat kepada Rabb al-Jalil dan tidak mengisi sepenuhnya malam kita untuk melunaskan permintaan manusia kerana untuk memenuhi kehendak semua orang adalah sesuatu benda yang tak mungkin tercapai.Ubatilah hati kita selagi peluang bertaubat masih terbentang dan janganlah menunggu sehingga terbentangnya maksiat-maksiat kita di hari akhirat,baru kita hendak menyesal kerana seperti pepatah melayu “sesal dulu pendapatan,sesal kemudian tiada berguna” .
Berkata ulama’,terdapat 9 perkara yang boleh meng'islah(ubah)kan hati :

1.Membaca al-Quran dengan tadabbur dan memahami maknanya. 2.Mengosongkan perut dengan mengurangkan makan 3.Bangun malam dengan beribadat 4.Bermunajat pada waktu sahur 5.Berdamping dengan orang Soleh 6.Diam daripada perkara-perkara tidak bermanfaat 7.Uzlah daripada orang jahil 8.Jangan selalu bersama mereka(orang jahil) 9.Makan benda yang halal

Konklusinya,marilah kita sama-sama merenung dan menangisi dosa-dosa kita lakukan.Tidak rugi untuk menitiskan air mata kita kerana takutkan Allah kerana titis-titis air mata kita dan amalan-amalan baik kita umpama ‘top-up’ yang akan mengisi ‘kredit’ untuk kita pada hari perhitungan nanti,insyaALLAH..

“Sesungguhnya orang-orang yang beriman adalah mereka yang apabila disebut nama Allah,gementar hatinya..dan apabila dibacakan ayat-ayatNya kepada mereka..bertambah(kuat) imannya dan hanya kepada Tuhan mereka bertawakkal” (Al-Anfal,2)

Rujukan : Terjemahan al-Quran,Kitab Fathul Mubin Bi Syarhi Arbai’in,Kitab Al- Jawahir Al-Lu’lu’iyah Fi Syarhi Arbai’in An-Nawawiyah.

www.iluvislam.com

++ Berjihad kena Sabar, Teguhkan Pendirian..

Al-Imran 142,

أَمۡ حَسِبۡتُمۡ أَن تَدۡخُلُواْ ٱلۡجَنَّةَ وَلَمَّا يَعۡلَمِ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِينَ جَـٰهَدُواْ مِنكُمۡ وَيَعۡلَمَ ٱلصَّـٰبِرِينَ (١٤٢)

Adakah kamu menyangka bahawa kamu akan masuk Syurga padahal belum lagi nyata kepada Allah (wujudnya) orang-orang yang berjihad (yang berjuang dengan bersungguh-sungguh) di antara kamu dan (belum lagi) nyata (wujudnya) orang-orang yang sabar (tabah dan cekal hati dalam perjuangan)? (142)

Al-Baqarah 250

وَلَمَّا بَرَزُواْ لِجَالُوتَ وَجُنُودِهِۦ قَالُواْ رَبَّنَآ أَفۡرِغۡ عَلَيۡنَا صَبۡرً۬ا وَثَبِّتۡ أَقۡدَامَنَا وَٱنصُرۡنَا عَلَى ٱلۡقَوۡمِ ٱلۡڪَـٰفِرِينَ (٢٥٠)

Dan apabila mereka (yang beriman itu) keluar menentang Jalut dan tenteranya, mereka berdoa dengan berkata: Wahai Tuhan kami! Limpahkanlah sabar kepada kami dan teguhkanlah tapak pendirian kami serta menangkanlah kami terhadap kaum yang kafir. (250)

Al-A’araf 126

رَبَّنَآ أَفۡرِغۡ عَلَيۡنَا صَبۡرً۬ا وَتَوَفَّنَا مُسۡلِمِينَ (١٢٦)…

Wahai Tuhan kami, limpahkanlah kesabaran kepada kami dan matikanlah kami dalam keadaan Islam (berserah bulat-bulat kepadaMu). (126)

++ `ABD ALLAH IBN MAS'UUD - The First Reiter of Qur'aan

Before the Prophet (PBUH) entered Daar Al-Arqam, lbn Mas'uud had declared his belief in him. He was the sixth one to embrace Islam and follow the Prophet (PBUH). Thus he was one of the early Muslims.

He narrated his first meeting with the Prophet (PBUH): I was a young shepherd boy responsible for the sheep of `Uqbah lbn Abu Mu'ait. The Prophet (PBUH) once came with Abu Bakr and said, "O boy, do you have milk for us to drink?" and I said, "I can't let you drink their milk." The Prophet (PBUH) said, "Do you have a virgin sheep that has never mated with a male?" I said, "Yes" and brought it to them. The Prophet (PBUH) caught it and stroked its udder and prayed to Allah till the udder filled. Abu Bakr brought him a concave rock into which he milked the sheep. Abu Bakr drank the milk, and then after that the Prophet said to the udder, "Shrink," and it did. I went to the Prophet after this incident and said to him, "Teach me this kind of talk." The Prophet (PBUH) said, "You are already a learned boy."

`Abd Allah lbn Mas'uud was fascinated to see the pious Servant and Messenger of Allah supplicate Allah and stroke a virgin udder till it gave milk, pure and agreeable to those who drank it. lbn Mas'uud did not realize that what he had seen was but the least wonderful miracle and that soon he would see at the hands of that honorable Prophet other miracles that would shake the world and fill it with light and faith. He did not realize either that he himself, the poor, weak, hired shepherd boy working for `Uqbah lbn Abu Mu'ait would be one of those miracles when he became, through his Islam, a strong believer capable of defeating the pride of the Quraish and overcoming the oppression of its martyrs.

Before his Islam he never dared to pass by a session attended by any Quraish nobleman except with hastened steps and a bowed head, but after Islam he was capable of going to the Ka'bah, where the elite Quraish congregated and standing among them reading the Qur'aan in a loud, beautiful, impressive voice: "In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful, The Most Beneficent! Has taught the Qur'aan. He created man. He taught him eloquent speech. The sun and the moon run on their fixed courses (exactly) calculated with measured out stages for each. And the herbs (or stars) and the trees both prostrate " (55:1-6).

He went on reciting while the Quraish were thunderstruck, not believing their own eyes or ears. They could not imagine that the one challenging their pride was just one of their hired shepherd boys who was the poor unknown `Abd Allah Ibn Mas'uud. Let us hear an eye witness, Az-Zubair (May Allah be pleased with him), describe the exciting scene: `Abd Allah Ibn Mas'uud was the first one to recite Qur'aan publicly in Makkah after the Prophet (PBUH). It happened one day that the Prophet's Companions were gathered with the Prophet (PBUH). They said, "By Allah, the Quraish have never heard the Qur'aan being recited to them before. Isn't there any man to recite it so that they may hear it?" Thereupon Abd Allah Ibn Mas`uud said, "I." They said, "We are afraid they may harm you. We want a man with a strong family to protect him from those people if they want to harm him." He said, "Let me go, Allah will protect me." Ibn Mas`uud went to the Maqaam at the Ka`bah and recited " In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful, The Most Beneficent! Has taught the Qur'aan... " and he went on reciting. The Quraish gazed at him and said, "What does Ibn Umm `Abd say? He is reciting some of what Muhammad came with." They went to him and began to beat him in the face while he was reciting till he finished whatever Allah wished him to recite from the surah. He returned to his friends with a wounded face and body, and they told him, "This is what we were afraid would happen to you." He answered them, `Those enemies of Allah have never been more worthless to me than this moment, and if you wish I will go back to them and do the same tomorrow." They said, "No, it is enough for you. You have made them hear what they hated."

Indeed, when lbn Mas'uud was fascinated by the sheep's udder which was filled with milk before its time, he did not realize that he and his humble friends would be one of the greater miracles of the Prophet (PBUH) on the day they carried the banner of Allah, with which they outshone the sun. He did not realize that such a day was very near. Soon that day came, and the poor, hired boy became a miracle!

He was hardly seen in the crowd of life and not even seen away from that crowd because he was too humble when compared with those who possessed wealth, power, and social status. Financially, he was poor. Physically, he was feeble, and socially, he was a nobody. But Islam compensated him for his poverty with a large share of the treasures of Khosrau and Caesar. Islam also compensated him for his physical weakness with a strong will that conquered the oppressors and helped to change the whole historical course of events. Again, Islam compensated his humble social status through immortality, knowledge, and honor that gave him an eminent place among the most prominent of historical figures.

The Prophet's prophecy about him which said, "You are a learned boy" was true. Indeed, Allah endowed him with knowledge till he became the most learned of this Ummah and the best one to know Qur'aan by heart. Ibn Mas'uud described himself saying, "I in fact took from the mouth of Allah's Messenger more than seventy surahs of the Qur'aan. I have a better understanding of the Book of Allah than any one of you."

It could be that Allah wanted to reward him for risking his life when he used to recite Qur'aan everywhere during the years of torture. So, He the Almighty endowed him with a wonderful talent for reciting and understanding Qur'aan to the extent that made the Prophet (PBUH) direct his Companions to follow his example. The Prophet (PBUH) said, "Stick to the method of Ibn Umm `Abd." He recommended that they imitate his way of reciting and learn it from him. The Prophet (PBUH) said, "Whoever wants to hear Qur'aan as fresh as it was revealed, let him hear it from lbn Umm `Abd," and said, "Whoever wants to read Qur'aan as fresh as it was revealed, let him read it in the way Ibn Umm Abd does."

It was a pleasure for the Prophet (PBUH) to hear Qur'aan being recited from the mouth of lbn Mas'uud. The Prophet (PBUH) once called on him and said, "Recite to me, Abd Allah," and `Abd Allah said, "How can I recite to you when it was revealed to you?" The Prophet (PBUH) said, "I like to hear it from others." Thereupon lbn Mas'uud started reading part of Surat An-Nisaa' till he reached the verse: "How (will it be) then, when We bring from each nation a witness and We bring you as a witness against those people. On that day those who disbelieved and disobeyed the Messenger will wish that they were buried in the earth, but they will never be able to hide a single fact from Allah " (4: 41-42). Upon hearing this, the Prophet's eyes flooded with tears and he waved to lbn Mas'uud saying, "Enough, enough, lbn Mas'uud."

Ibn Mas'uud himself talked proudly about Allah's bounty upon him. "By Allah, there is no surah in the Book of Allah about which I do not know where and in what context it was revealed. I have a better understanding of the Book of Allah than you do, and if I were to know that someone had a better understanding than I and I could reach him on the back of a mule, I would definitely go to him on a camel's back, but I am not better than you are."

The Prophet's Companions witnessed this for him. The Commander of the Faithful `Umar lbn Al-Kattaab said about him," He was filled with knowledge." Also Abu Muusaa Al- Ash'ariy said about him, "Don't ask me about any matter as long as you have this scholar among you." He was not only praised for his knowledge of Qur'aan and jurisprudence, but also for his piety and God consciousness. Hudhaifah said about him, "I have never seen anyone more like the Prophet (PBUH) in his way of life and characteristics than Ibn Mas'uud." He also said, "The lucky Companions of the Prophet (PBUH) realized that Ibn Umm `Abd is the nearest one of them to Allah."

One day a number of Companions were gathered at the house of `Aliy lbn Abi Taalib and said to him, "O Commander of the Faithful, we have never seen a man who is more virtuous, more learned, more companionable, friendly, and God-fearing than `Abd Allah Ibn Mas'uud." `Aliy said, "I beg you by Allah, is this true from your hearts?" They said, "Yes." `Aliy said, "O Allah, I testify in front of You that I say about him like what they said and more. He read the Qur'aan and did what is lawful in it and avoided what is forbidden. He was knowledgeable in religion and scholarly in Sunnah."

The Prophet's Companions said about him, "He was admitted to the company of the Prophet (PBUH), whereas we were detained, and he was present in his company, whereas we were absent." This means he used to have more privileges than the others. He used to enter the Prophet's house and sit with him more than anybody else. He was the one the Prophet (PBUH) entrusted with his secrets to the extent that he was entitled "The Secretary."

Abu Muusaa Al-Ash'ariy (May Allah be pleased with him) said in this context, "I came to Allah's Messenger (PBUH) and thought that lbn Mas'uud was among the members of his family." This means that the Prophet (PBUH) loved him dearly for his piety and intelligence. He said about him, "If I were to appoint a commander without consulting the Muslims, I would have appointed lbn Umm `Abd," and as mentioned before, the Prophet (PBUH) asked his Companions to "Stick to the method of lbn Umm Abd."

He was so near to the Prophet (PBUH) and so trusted by him that he was given more privileges than anyone else was given. The Prophet (PBUH) told him, "My permission to you is that you may raise the curtains." This indicates his being allowed to knock at the Prophet's door at any time during the day or night. This is why the Companions said, "He was admitted to the company of the Prophet (PBUH), whereas we were detained, and he was present in his company, whereas we were absent."

He was really up to this standard. Although such a close relationship could have created some sort of intimacy, Ibn Mas'uud's attitude towards the Prophet (PBUH) was always one of respect and politeness. This was even after the Prophet's death. Although he seldom mentioned the Prophet (PBUH) after his death, in most cases when he did mention him, he began to tremble and shake, and all the signs of worry and perplexity appeared on him. This occurred whenever his lips began to murmur, "I heard the Prophet (PBUH) say lest he should forget or change one single letter of what was said.

Let us hear what his brothers in Islam said about such behavior. `Amr Ibn Maimuun reported, "I was frequently visited by lbn Mas'uud for about a year, during which time I did not hear him speak about the Prophet (PBUH). But one day he was talking and he uttered, "The Prophet (PBUH) said..." At this moment he was badly troubled and started to sweat and corrected himself, "The Prophet (PBUH) said something like that."

`Alqamah Ibn Qais reported, "lbn Mas'uud used to speak to people every Thursday night. I never heard him saying, "The Prophet (PBUH) said," but he once said it and he was leaning on a stick that started to shake in his hand.

Also, Masruuq narrated on the authority of Abd Allah, "One day Ibn Mas'uud was speaking and he said, "I heard the Prophet (PBUH). . ." On this he and his clothes started to shake. Then he corrected himself, `something like this."

Thus the veneration of the Prophet (PBUH) in his heart was that great, and this was a sign of his intelligence. Such a man, who accompanied the Prophet (PBUH) more than anybody else, was the best to realize how great the Prophet (PBUH) was. Therefore, he maintained the same manner concerning him during his life and after his death.

* * *

lbn Mas'uud never missed the company of the Prophet (PBUH) either while traveling or at home. He participated in all the battles, and on the Day of Badr his role was significant, especially with Abu Jahl. The Prophet's (PBUH) caliphs, were also fully aware of his proper value. The Commander of the Faithful `Umar lbn Al-Kataab appointed him as director of the treasury (Bait Al-Maal) in Kufa and he said to the people there, "By Allah, there is no god but He. You know that I have given you a preference over myself when I sent him to you to learn from him."

The people of Kufa liked him as they never liked anyone before him. It was a real miracle that the whole people of Kufa agreed on liking somebody because they were known to be a people of rebellion and mutiny. They hardly agreed on one kind of food, and they did not tolerate peace and tranquillity. Their love for him was so great that when the Caliph `Uthmaan (May Allah be pleased with him) wanted to discharge him of his office, they surrounded him and said, "Stay with us and don't go. We will protect you against anything that you don't like." But lbn Mas'uud gave them an answer that really reflected his greatness and piety. He said, "He has the right of obedience on me. There will be turbulence coming and I hate to be the first to open the door to it."

This wonderful situation discloses to us the nature of the relationship between Ibn Mas'uud and `Uthmaan. They had an argument and a disagreement between them which ended with the caliph cutting Ibn Mas'uud's salary from the Bait Al-Maal. In return, lbn Mas'uud never spoke ill of the caliph. On the contrary, he used to defend him. When he heard about the attempted assassinations on `Uthmaan, he said his famous words, "If they kill him they will not find anyone like him to succeed ." Some of lbn Mas'uud's friends said, "We never heard him uttering a bad word about `Uthmaan." Allah endowed lbn Aas'uud with wisdom along with his piety.

He had an insight that enabled him to see facts beyond the surface, and the capability to express such facts in an intelligent style. For example, he summarized the life of `Umar lbn Al-Khattaab in one concise sentence: " `Umar's Islam was an opening, his Hijrah was a victory, and his rule was a mercy.

He once expressed the idea of the relativity of time saying, "Your Lord does not have day or night because the light of the earth and the skies is but from the light of His face."

In another context he praised the value of work in raising the social standard of man: "I hate a man living in leisure with nothing to do, either for his worldly life or the life to come. The next is a comprehensive phrase: "The best wealth is the wealth of the soul. The best provision is right conduct. The most major of sins is lying, the most evil earning is usury, and the most evil of what can be eaten is eating up the property of orphans. Whoever excuses others, will be excused by Allah, and whoever forgives others will be forgiven by others."

* * *

That was `Abd Allah lbn Mas'uud, the Prophet's (PBUH) Companion, and that is but one glimpse of the heroic life he lived in the way of Allah, His Prophet and His religion. That was the man who had been as small as a bird. He was so thin and short that he was the same height as a sitting person. He had very thin legs. He once climbed a tree to pick some arak sticks for the Prophet (PBUH), and when the Companions saw how thin his legs were they laughed. The Prophet (PBUH) said, "Are you laughing at Ibn Mas`uud's legs? On Allah's scales of justice they are heavier than the mountain of Uhud." Indeed that was the poor, weak hired boy who became by faith an Imam (leader) guiding people to the light.

It was Allah's bounty on him that he was counted among the first ten Companions of the Prophet (PBUH) who were promised to enter Paradise while they were still alive. He participated in all the victorious wars with the Prophet (PBUH) and his caliphs. He witnessed how the two greatest empires opened their gates in submission to the banners of Islam. He saw the high positions and lucrative money pouring into the hands of the Muslims, but his mind was never obsessed by such matters. Instead, he was pre-occupied with how to fulfil the pledge he offered to the Prophet (PBUH), and he was also never tempted to give up the life of humbleness and self- denial that he used to lead. He had only one wish that he dreamed all his life might come true.

Let us hear him speaking about it: While I was with the Prophet (PBUH) at the Battle of Tabuuk, I woke up at midnight to see a flame of fire near the place of the army. I followed it and found the Prophet (PBUH), Abu Bakr and `Umar digging a grave to bury `Abd Allah Dhul Bijaadain Al-Muzaniy who died at the time. The Prophet (PBUH) was in the grave and asked Abu Bakr and `Umar, "hand your brother to me," and they did. After he put his body in the grave he said, "O Allah, in this night I am fully satisfied and pleased with him. So be you pleased with him." I wished I was the one being buried in that hole.

This was his sole wish in his life. It was not related to what people were racing at in this life, such as wealth, social status or glory. It was the wish of a man who possessed a kind heart, a noble soul, and a strong faith. Such a man was guided by Allah, educated by the Prophet (PBUH), and enlightened by Qur'aan.

Quote from: Men Around The Messenger

++ HAMZAH IBN `ABD AL-MUTTALIB - The Lion of Allah and The Martyr of Martyrs

After a day full of work, worship, and entertainment, the people of Makkah fell into a deep sleep. The people of the Quraish were turning in their beds except for one who forsook his bed of sleep. He used to go to bed early, rest for a few hours, then wake up in great anxiety for the expected appointment with Allah. He went to the praying corner in his room to supplicate to his God. Whenever his wife awakened upon hearing the voice of his long supplications, she shed tears out of warm sympathy and asked him not to take it so hard and to get some sleep.

He only answered her in tears, "The time for sleep is over, khadijjah." At that time Muhammad was not yet a serious problem for the Quraish, although he had started to draw their attention as he started to spread his call secretly; those who believed in him were still quite few.

There were people among the non-believers who loved and respected him. They yearned to declare their belief in him and become one of his followers, but their fear of the prevailing norms and the pressure of inherited traditions prevented them. Among them was Hamzah lbn `Abdul Muttalib, the Prophet's paternal uncle who was at the same time his brother through fosterage (i.e. they had been breast-fed by the same woman).

* * *

Hamzah was fully aware of the greatness of his nephew and of the truth he came with. He used to know him not only as a nephew, but also as a brother and friend because they both belonged to the same generation. They always played together and walked together on the same road of life step by step. But in their youth they departed, each one in his own way: Hamzah preferred the life of leisure, trying to take his place among the prominent leaders of the Quraish and Makkah, while Muhammad chose the life of seclusion away from the crowd, immersed in the deep spiritual meditation that prepared him to receive the truth.

Despite the fact that each of them had a different way of living out his own youth, Hamzah was always attentive to the virtues of his friend and nephew. Such virtues helped Muhammad to win a special place in the hearts of people and helped to draw a clear outline for his great future.

The next day, Hamzah went out as usual. At the Ka'bah he found a number of Quraishi noblemen. He sat with them, listening to what they had to say: they were talking about Muhammad. For the first time Hamzah saw them worried about the call his nephew was propagating with a tone of bitterness and rage marking their voices. Before that, they had never paid attention - at least they had pretended not to do so - but on that day their faces looked perplexed, upset, and aggressive.

Hamzah laughed at their talks and accused them of exaggeration. Abu Jahl said to his companions that Hamzah was the best one to know the danger of his nephew's call and that he pretended to underestimate this danger till the Quraish would relax so much that when they awakened it would be after his nephew had complete control over them.

They kept talking and threatening while Hamzah sat, sometimes smiling, sometimes frowning. When they dispersed his head was full of new ideas about the issues of his nephew that they had discussed in his presence.

* * *

Days passed and the Quraish's whispering about the Prophet's call increased. Later, whispering turned into provocation and Hamzah watched from a distance. His nephew's composed, steadfast attitude towards their provocations puzzled him. Such an attitude was quite unfamiliar to the Bani Quraish, who were themselves known to be strong and challenging.

If doubts of the greatness and truth of Muhammad could steal into anyone's heart, they would have never stolen into Hamzah's heart, because he was the best one to know Muhammad from his early childhood to his youth, then to his proud, honest manhood. Hamzah knew Muhammad as he knew himself and maybe more. Since they had come into life together, grown up together, and attained full strength together, Muhammad's life had been as pure and clear as the sunlight. It never occurred to Hamzah that Muhammad could make an error or a doubtful act in his life. He never saw Muhammad angry, hopeless , greedy, careless, or unstable. Hamzah was not only physically strong, but was also wise and strong-willed.

Therefore, it was natural for him to follow a man in whose honesty and truthfuIness he wholeheartedly believed. Thus he kept a secret in his heart that was soon going to be disclosed.

Then came the day. Hamzah went out of his house towards the desert carrying his bow to practice his favorite sport of hunting (in which he was very skilled). He spent most of his day there. On his way home he passed by the Ka'bah as usual, to circumambulate it.

Near the Ka'bah, a female servant of `Abd Allah lbn Jud'aan saw him and said, "O Abu `Umaarah! You haven't seen what happened to your nephew at the hands of Abu Al-Hakam lbn Hishaam. When he saw Muhammad sitting there, he hurt him and called him bad names and treated him in a way that he hated." She went on to explain what Abu Jahl had done to the Prophet of Allah. Hamzah listened to her carefully and paused for a while, then with his right hand he picked up his bow and put it on his shoulder. He walked with fast, steady steps towards the Ka'bah, hoping to meet Abu Jahl there. He decided that if he did not find him, he would search for him everywhere till he did.

As soon as he reached the Ka'bah he glanced at Abu Jahl sitting in the yard in the middle of the Quraishi noblemen. Hamzah advanced very calmly towards Abu Jahl and hit him with his bow on the head till it broke the skin and bled. To everybody's surprise, Hamzah shouted, "You dare to insult Muhammad while I follow his religion and I say what he says? Come and retaliate upon me. Hit me if you can." In a moment they all forgot how their leader Abu Jahl had been insulted and they were all thunderstruck by the news that Hamzah had converted to Muhammad's religion and that he saw what Muhammad saw and said what he said. Could Hamzah really have converted to Islam when he was the strongest and most dignified Quraishi young man?

Such was the overwhelming disaster to which the Quraish were helpless, because Hamzah's conversion would attract others from the elite to do the same. Thus Muhammad's call would be supported, and he would find enough solidarity that the Quraish might wake up one day to find their idols being pulled down.

Indeed, Hamzah had converted, and he announced what he had kept secret in his heart for so long.

* * *

Again Hamzah picked up his bow, put it on his shoulder, and with steady steps and full strength left the place with everyone looking disappointed and Abu Jahl licking the blood flowing from his wounded head.

Hamzah possessed a sharp sight and dear consciousness. He went home, and after he had relaxed from the day's exhaustion he sat down to think over what had happened. He had announced it in a moment of indignation and rage. He hated to see his nephew getting insulted and suffering injustice with no one to help him. Such racial zeal for the honor of Bani Haashim's talk had made him hit Abu Jahl on the head and shout declaring his Islam. But was that the ideal way for anyone to change the religion of his parents and ancestors and to embrace a new religion whose teachings he had not yet become familiar with and whose true reality he had not acquired sufficient knowledge of? It was true that Hamzah had never had any doubts about Muhammad's integrity, but could anybody embrace a new religion with all its responsibilities just in a moment of rage as Hamzah had done?

It was true that he had always kept in his heart a great respect for the new call his nephew was carrying and its banner, but what should the right time have been to embrace this religion if he was destined to embrace it? Should it be a moment of indignation and anger or a moment of deep reflection? Thus he was inspired by a clear consciousness to reconsider the whole situation in light of strict and meticulous thinking.

Hamzah started thinking. He spent many restless days and sleepless nights. When one tries to attain the truth by the power of mind, uncertainty will become a means of knowledge, and this is what happened to Hamzah. Once he used his mind to search Islam and to weigh between the old religion and the new one, he started to have doubts raised by his innate inherited nostalgia for his father's religion and by the natural fear of anything new. All his memories of the Ka`bah, the idols, the statues and the high religious status these idols bestowed on the Quraish and Makkah were raised.

It appeared to him that denying all this history and the ancient religion was like a big chasm which had to be crossed. Hamzah was amazed at how a man could depart from the religion of his father that early and that fast. He regretted what he had done but he went on with the journey of reasonable thinking. But at that moment, he realized that his mind was not enough and that he should resort sincerely to the unseen power. At the Ka'bah he prayed and supplicated to heaven, seeking help from every light that existed in the universe to be guided to the right path.

Let us hear him narrating his own story: I regretted having departed from the religion of my father and kin, and I was in a terrible state of uncertainty and could not sleep. I came to the Ka'bah and supplicated to Allah to open my heart to what was right and to eliminate all doubts from it. Allah answered my prayer and filled my heart with faith and certainty. In the morning I went to the Prophet (PBUH) informing him about myself, and he prayed to Allah that He may keep my heart stable in this religion.

In this way Hamzah converted to Islam, the religion of certainty.

* * *

Allah supported Islam with Hamzah's conversion. He was strong in defending the Prophet of Allah (PBUH) and the helpless amongst his Companions. When Abu Jahl saw him among the Muslims, he realized that war was inevitably coming. Therefore he began to support the Quraish to ruin the Prophet and his Companions. He wanted to prepare for a civil war to relieve his heart of anger and bitter feelings.

Hamzah was unable, of course, to prevent all the harm alone, but his conversion was a shield that protected the Muslims, and was the first source of attraction to many tribes to embrace Islam. The second source was `Umar Ibn Al-Khattab's conversion, after which people entered Allah's religion in crowds. Since his conversion, Hamzah devoted all his life and power to Allah and His religion till the Prophet (PBUH) honored him with the noble title, "The Lion of Allah and of His Messenger".

The first military raid launched by the Muslims against their enemies was under the command of Hamzah. The first banner that the Prophet handed to any Muslim was to Hamzah. In the battle of Badr, when the two conflicting parties met, the Lion of Allah and of His Messenger was there performing great wonders.

* * *

The defeated remnants of the Quraish army went back to Makkah stumbling in disappointment. Abu Sufyaan was broken hearted with a bowed head as he left on the battlefield the dead bodies of the Quraish martyrs such as Abu Jahl, Utbah Ibn Rabii'ah, Shaibah lbn Rabii'ah, Umaiyah Ibn khalaf, `Uqbah Thn Abi Mu'ait, Al-Aswad Ibn `Abdul Al-Asad Al-Makhzumi, Al- Wallid lbn `Utbah, Al-Nafr lbn Al-Haarith, Al-'Aas lbn Sa'iid, Ta'mah lbn `Addi and tens of other great Quraish.

But the Quraish would not accept the defeat easily. They started to prepare the army and to pull together all powers to avenge their honor and their dead. They insisted to continue the war. In the Battle of Uhud, all the Quraish went to war together with their allies from the Arabs, under the leadership of Abu Sufyaan once again.

The Quraishi leaders had targeted two persons in the new battle, namely, the Prophet (PBUH) and Hamzah (May Allah be pleased with him). If one had heard them talking and plotting before the war, one would realize that Hamzah was their second main target after the Prophet (PBUH).

Before they went to war, they had already chosen the person in charge of assassinating Hamzah: an Abyssinian slave with extra ordinary skill in spear throwing. They planned for him to kill Hamzah, his only role being to hit him with a deadly spear. They warned him not to be busy with any other preoccupation other than Hamzah, regardless of the situation on the battlefield. They promised him the excellent reward of his freedom. The slave, whose name was Wahshiy, was owned by Jubair Ipn Mut`am. Jubair's uncle had been killed in the Battle of Badr, so Jubair said to Wahshiy, "Go out with the army, and if you kill Hamzah you will be free." Afterwards, the Quraish sent Wahshiy to Hind Bint `Utbah, Abu Sufyaan's wife, to give him more encouragement to kill Hamzah, because she had lost her father, uncle, brother, and son and it was said that Hamzah had been behind their deaths.

This was the reason why Hind was the most enthusiastic one of all the Quraish to escalate the war. All she wanted was Hamzah's head, whatever the cost might be. She spent days before the battle pouring all her rage into Wahshiy's heart and making the plans for him. She promised him if he killed Hamzah she would give him her most precious trinkets. With her hateful fingers she held her precious pearl earrings and a number of golden necklaces around her neck and gazed at him saying, "All these are yours if you kill Hamzah." Wahshiy's mouth watered for the offer, and his soul yearned for the battle after which he would win his freedom and cease to be a slave, in addition to all the jewelry decorating the neck of the leading woman of the Quraish, the wife of its leader, and the daughter of its master. It was clear then that the whole war and the whole conspiracy were decisively seeking Hamzah.

* * *

The Battle of Uhud started and the two armies met. Hamzah was in the middle of the battlefield in battle dress and on his bosom he put an ostrich feather that he used to wear while fighting. He was moving everywhere cutting off the head of each polytheist he reached among the army of the Quraish. It seemed that death was at his command. Whenever he ordered it for anyone it reached him in the heart.

The Muslims were about to gain victory and the defeated army of the Quraish started to withdraw in fright, but the Muslim archers left their places on the mountain to collect the spoils of war that the Quraish had left. If they had not left their places, giving the Quraish cavalry the chance to find a way, the battle would have ended as a gigantic grave for all the Quraish, including men, women, horses, and even cattle.

The Quraish attacked the Muslims by surprise from the back and started strilang them with thirsty swords. The Muslims tried to pull themselves together, picking up the weapons they had put down upon seeing the Quraish withdrawing, but the attack was too violent. When Hamzah saw what had happened, he doubled his strength and his activity. Hamzah was striking all around him while Wahshiy was observing him, waiting for the right moment. Let us hear Wahshiy himself describe the scene.

I was an Abyssinian man who used to throw the spear in an Abyssinian way that scarcely misses its target. When the armies met I searched for Hamzah till I found him in the middle of the crowd like a huge camel. He was killing every one around him with his sword. Nothing could stop him. By Allah, I prepared for him. I wanted him. I hid behind a tree so that I might attack him or he might come close to me. At that moment Sabaa'u Ibn `Abd Al-'Uzzaa approached him before me. When Hamzah glanced at him he shouted, "Come to me, you son of the one who circumcises!" and he hit him directly in the head. Then I shook my spear till I was in full control over it and threw it. The spear penetrated him from the back and came out from between his legs. He rose to reach me but could not and soon died. I came to his body and took my spear and went back to sit in the camp. I didn't want anything else to do with him. I killed him only to be free.

Let Wahshiy continue his story: When I returned to Makkah, they set me free. I stayed there till the Prophet (PBUH) entered Makkah on the Day of the Conquest. I fled to At-Taa'if. When the delegation of Al-Taa'if went to declare their conversion to Islam, I heard various people say that I should go to Syria or Yemen or any other place. While I was in such distress, a man said to me, "Woe to you! The Prophet (PBUH) never kills anyone entering his religion." I went to Allah's Prophet (PBUH) in Al- Madiinah, and the moment he first saw me I was already giving my true testimony. When he saw me he said, "Is it you, Wahshiy?" I said, "Yes, Messenger of Allah." He said, "Tell me, how did you kill Hamzah?" I told him, and when I finished he told me, "Woe to you! Get out of my sight and never show your face to me." From that time, I always avoided wherever the Prophet (PBUH) went lest he should see me, till he died.

Afterwards, when the Muslims fought Musailamah the Liar in the Battle of Al-Yamaamah, I went with them. I took with me the same spear that I had killed Hamzah with. When the armies met, I saw Musailamah standing with his sword in his hand. I prepared for him, shook my spear till I had full control over it, threw it, and it went into his body. If I killed with this spear the best of people, Hamzah, I wish that Allah may forgive me, as I killed with it the worst of people, Musailamah.

Thus the Lion of Allah and of His Messenger died as a great martyr. His death was as unusual as his life, because it was not enough for his enemies to kill him. They sacrificed all the men and money of the Quraish to a battle only seeking the Prophet (PBUH) and his uncle Hamzah.

Hind Bint `Utbah, the wife of Abu Sufyaan, ordered Wahshiy to bring her Hamzah's liver, and he responded to her savage desire. When he returned to her, he delivered the liver to her with his right hand, while taking the necklaces with the left as a reward for the accomplished task. Hind, whose father had been killed in the Battle of Badr and whose husband was the leader of the polytheist army, chewed Hamzah's liver hoping to relieve her heart, but the liver was too tough for her teeth so she spat it out and stood up shouting her poem:

For Badr we've paid you better

In a war more flaring than the other.

I was not patient to revenge the murder of

`Utbah, my son, and my brother.

My vow's fulfilled, my heart's relieved forever.

The battle ended and the polytheists mounted their camels and led their horses back to Makkah. The Prophet (PBUH) and his Companions examined the battlefield to see the martyrs. There, in the heart of the valley, the Prophet (PBUH) was examining the faces of his Companions who had offered their souls to their Lord and had given their lives as a precious sacrifice to Him.

The Prophet (PBUH) suddenly stood up and gazed in an upset manner at what he saw. He ground his teeth and dosed his eyes. He never imagined that the Arabic moral code could be that savage so as to cut and disfigure a dead body in the dreadful way that had happened to his uncle, the Lion of Allah, Hamzah Ibn `Abd Al Muttalib. The Prophet (PBUH) opened his shining eyes and looked at the dead body of his uncle saying, "I will never have a worse loss in my life than yours. I have never been more outraged than I am now."

Then he turned to his Companions saying, "It is only for the sake of Safiyah [Hamzah's sister] that she should be grieved and that it should be taken as a practice after me. Otherwise, I would have ordered him to be left without burying so that he may be in the stomachs of beasts and in the craws of birds. If Allah destines me to win over the Quraish, I will cut thirty of them into pieces."

Therefore, the Companions shouted, "By Allah, if one day we conquer them, we will cut them in a way that no Arab has done before!" Allah honored Hamzah by making his death a great lesson for the Muslims to learn justice and mercy, even in situations when penalties and retaliation were justified. No sooner had the Prophet finished his threatening words, then a revelation came down to him while he was still standing in his place with the following verse: "Call mankind to the Way of your Lord with wisdom and sound advice, and reason with them in a well mannered way. Indeed your Lord is well aware of those who have gone astray from His way, and He is well aware of those who are guided. And if you retaliate, let your retaliation be to the extent that you were afflicted, but if you are patient, it will certainly be best for those who are patient; and be patient, yet your patience is only with the help of GOD, and do not sorrow for them, not distress yourself at what they devise. Indeed GOD is with those who are pious, and those who are doers of good" (16:125-127).

The revelation of these verses in this situation was the best honor for Hamzah. As stated before, the Prophet (PBUH) loved him dearly because he was not only an uncle, but also his brother by fosterage, his playmate in childhood, and the best friend in all his life.

The Prophet (PBUH) did not find any better farewell for Hamzah than praying for him among the numerous martyrs. Hamzah's body was carried to the place of prayer on the battlefield, in the same place which had witnessed his bravery and embraced his blood. The Prophet (PBUH) and his Companions prayed for him, then they brought another martyr and put him beside Hamzah, and prayed for him. Then they took the martyr away and left Hamzah and brought the next martyr and placed him beside Hamzah and prayed for him and so on. They brought all the martyrs, one after the other and prayed for them beside Hamzah, who on that day was prayed for seventy times (the number of martyrs).

* * *

On his way from the battlefield, the Prophet (PBUH) heard the women of Bani `Abd Al- Ashhal lamenting their martyrs and he said, "But Hamzah has no one to lament him." Sa'd lbn Mu'aadh heard this sentence and thought that the Prophet (PBUH) would be satisfied if the women would lament his uncle. He hurried to the women of Bani Abd Al-Ashhal and ordered them to lament Hamzah. When the Prophet (PBUH) heard them doing this he said, "I did not mean this. Go back, may Allah have mercy on you. There will be no crying anymore." The Prophet's (PBUH) Companions began to say their eulogies for Hamzah in praise of his virtues.

The poet Hassaan lbn Thaabit said in the course of a long poem:

Moan for Hamzah the one

Who won't forget your horse which was old.

He spurs horses when away they run

Like lions in jungles. He's strong and bold,

Whiter than Haashim. He looks in the sun

Except for the night, his tongue never told

Among your swords, in was he done,

Paralyzed be the hands that Wahshiy has sold."

Abd Allah lbn Rawaahah also said:

I moaned, but what did moaning do for me?

When they said Hamzah the Lion was killed

Abu Ya`liy, a man with honor was filled

For your death, pillars down were pulled.

* * *

Safiyah, Hamzah's sister and the Prophet's (PBUH) aunt said:

To the happy Paradise of Allah he was invited.

Such a destiny for Hamzah was what we wanted,

I won't forget you if I stayed or departed.

I moan for a lion by whom Islam was protected.

O brother, may Allah for what you did

Make you rewarded.

But the best words said about him were those of the Prophet (PBUH) when he first saw him among the martyrs: "May Allah have mercy on you. You were, as far as I knew, always uniting blood relations and doing all sorts of goodness."

The loss of Hamzah was great and nothing could console the Prophet (PBUH) for it. But to his surprise, Allah offered him the best consolation. When he was walking home from Uhud, he saw a woman from the Bani Diinaar whose husband, father, and brother had been killed in the battle. She asked the returning Muslim soldiers about the battle. When they told her of the death of her father, husband, and brother, she soon asked them anxiously, "What about the Prophet of Allah?" They said, "He is very well as you wish him to be." She said, "Show me, let me look at him." They stayed beside her till the Prophet (PBUH) came and when she saw him she said, "if you are safe, all other disasters will be of no importance."

Yes, this was the best condolence for the Prophet (PBUH). He smiled at this unusual situation which had no similitude in loyalty and devotion. A poor, helpless woman lost in an hour father, brother, and husband. Her reaction to that news - which if it had fallen on a mountain would have made it collapse - was, "What about the Prophet of Allah?" It was such a well-timed situation that it is evident that Allah planned to console His Prophet (PBUH) for the death of Allah's Lion and martyr of all martyrs.

Quote From: Men Around The Messenger